29-year-old Jaeger Mah from Canada has won the opportunity to live in Vancouver International Airport for 80 days. The man will not exactly be sleeping on the ground or having to eat the airport food, he will be staying in a suite with floor-to-ceiling views of the runways at Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel and given three meals a day but he will have 24/7 access to most parts of the airport. Mah wants to investigate abnormal things such as discovering how many cans of paint it takes to paint a runway and find out where confiscated items go. Mah submitted a video in his attempt to win the competition as part of the airport’s 80th anniversary. Watch his submission and read more about him after the jump.

@Julie1205


Grumpy travelers stranded at the airport for one night have nothing to pout about. A Canadian man will be confined to Vancouver International Airport for 80 days and 80 nights starting on Aug. 17 — by choice.

Jaeger Mah, 29, campaigned for two weeks until being named the clear winner of the Live@YVR contest. In celebration of the airport’s 80th anniversary, the contest received 96 entries from people wanting to document what happens in otherwise off-limits areas of the airport. With 4,128 votes, Mah crushed his competition, doubling those of the first runner-up. He is now the proud holder of an (almost) all-access security pass to the airport (code: YVR).

Mah told the Vancouver Sun: “I love the thrill of different challenges and something like this is perfect.”

“I’ll basically be living in a new world, and I have this goal, which is to interview people, share their stories and showcase the hearts behind YVR.”

Luckily for Mah, he won’t be sleeping in an uncomfortable chair or the terminal floor for the duration of the project. His prize includes an 80-night stay in a suite with floor-to-ceiling views of the runways at Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel, as well as three meals a day. Mmm, nothing like bland airport food for nearly 12 weeks straight.

The first task on Mah’s agenda? Find out where confiscated items go.

“My grandpa’s pocket knife that he passed on to me was confiscated at an airport a long time ago,” he told the Vancouver Sun. “I’ve always wondered what happened to it. Did it get recycled? Melted? Trashed?”

Other travelers looking to quench their curiosity about the ins and outs of the international airport are encouraged to send in story ideas to “the Anderson Cooper of YVR,” as Mah now refers to himself, via Facebook and Twitter.

“Maybe you’d like to know the strangest cargo ever shipped out of YVR, or how many liters of paint it takes to mark the runway lines. Now’s your chance to ask,” Vancouver Airport Authority Spokesperson Rebecca Catley told CBC News Canada.
HPT